The Deceiver, by R.J. Machado De Quevedo

R. J. Machado De Quevedo, author of The Deceiver Saga, lives in Northern California. Having grown up with meager resources, R. J. learned early on that joy can be found in the simple things and that imagination is a wonderful escape. R.J. is also a speaker, blogger, musician, model and artist. She enjoys kick boxing, hiking, shooting and riding motorcycles.
Books by R. J. Machado De Quevedo
1) The Deceiver
2) Broken Seed
3) Sanctuary of Fire

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Need a 2017 calendar? Here's one! Or Athens Abell's 2017 Banjo Beauties Calendar! I'm Miss October this year! For fun, I'm AKA "Ginger"! You can even order a One And Only of just me from her store link below too. My hubbie even makes a giest appearance and he did great! Check it out!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Have you ever wondered how can you make your readers
identify with your character(s) or sympathize with them? Here are 7 tips you
can use! Earlier last year I went to a Sisters In Crime writer’s
conference and one of the presenters was James Rollins. He listed seven
fundamental tricks to accomplish just this. he himself, had learned them from
another author. It is only fitting that I too, pass them on to any aspiring
writers out there!

What I’ve done here is incorporated my own experience and
expertise into the seven basic principles and expounded upon them
to bring more depth and understanding to the these ideas. I’ve even
rephrased the principles.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to incorporate all 7 into
your book(s) to be effective! Two or three should be sufficient. You can of
course, mix a variety of them up into a series of books if you wanted to. In
other words, try not to use the same tactics in each book so as to not become
predictable or ordinary. And remember, your first priority is to be able to
engage the reader. These tips will help you do that. Your second priority is to
carry out the plot.

Seven tricks to building
a bond between your character(s) and your readers:

1.You can have other characters in your book like
your main character(s) or express love, affection, respect or goodwill towards
them.

a.When the reader encounters these positive
attitudes and opinions from other characters toward your main character(s), it
attaches to the reader and influences their own feelings toward your
characters.

b.Much like in real life when we hear high praise
and the “good gossip” about a person before we’ve even meet them for ourselves,
we might often find that we already “like” them by the time we meet them
because those feeling have already been established.
It becomes easy to develop a relationship and much quicker as well.

c.If we hear negative comments (like the “bad”
kind of gossip), we tend to not have good feelings toward that person, even if
we never meet them and even if they have never actually done anything bad or
rude to us. It is simply human nature to develop an offense or negative
impression of that person, even if we don’t intend to. It colors our trust or
initial judgment of them.

i.On a side note, this is also why it is so
important to always try to portray yourself in public the way you’d wish your
professional reputation to be known. Because people do talk. A lot. And you
never know who is watching, listening or the one you are being rude to. They
may know someone who one day, you wish you knew. And if that person gets an ear
full of negative tid-bits, chances are, you just shot yourself in the foot.

2.If possible, try to write your character so that
they come across a little funny or humorous. Whether it is slap stick humor in
a scene or adding some flippantly delivered or sarcastic remarks or response.

a.Everyone loves a good laugh or a chuckle from a
witty remark.

b.Not everyone is a comedian. But almost anyone
can be flippant or sarcastic. Even dry humor can be entertaining to the right
crowd. Find what you’re good at and add a touch here and there.

c.And studies show that when a person laughs,
stress is reduced, anxiety and tension subside, and the mind opens up. Laughter
even helps the learning process. So if you can bring some good feelings to your
reader through laughter, they will find your books all the more enjoyable and
maybe even therapeutic in a sense.

a.This can also be done through a minor character if
you don’t want to have your major character acting as humanly.

b.Everyone likes to see someone do the right
thing. It makes us feel good. It’s how we might secretly wish we were all the
time.

4.Demonstrate in the story that they are really
good in their field or even an expert in their field.

a.Readers like the feel confident in their
favorite characters.

b.Do your research properly so it is believable.

c.If possible, set up a one-on-one with a
real-life expert in that field to talk to about it.

5.Allow your main character(s) to treat their pets
well, show respect to the elderly or show kindness to kids or have fun with
kids.

a.For the animal and pet lovers, they will
appreciate the warm relationship between the character and their pet(s). If you
make your character hate animals and do bad things to them, you’re going to
turn a lot of people off, except if that is your intent.

b.And unless the elderly person is a real crab or
creep, treat them respectfully by your “good guys”. Have them treat them the
way you want someone to treat your parents (assuming you don’t hate your
parents either – which is another conversation all together).

c.Little hint: Even if you don’t have kids or
particularly really like them much, pretend. It’s a fictional book after all,
suck it up and do the right thing – for your audience. No one needs to know you
dislike kids.

6.If there is any way for your character to be the
underdog, it will endear your reader to them.

a.Readers tend to like the stories about
overcoming the odds or overcoming obstacles.

b.Examples of an underdog include:

i.They were an unwanted or unloved child

ii.They were the ugly duckling

iii.They have a mental or physical handicap of some
kind

iv.They are from a poor family (not raised with
wealth or inherited great wealth)

v.They live in an underdeveloped, underprivileged
area (Examples: ghetto, red neck hick country with poor education, third world
country)

7.Allow your main character(s) to experience a
relatable misfortunate event.

a.The readers will start to develop sympathy with
your character because they may have experienced something similar or know
someone who has. If they can relate to your character, they will grow to like
them and/or sympathize with them.

b.Some examples of common struggles a reader might
identify with but are often overused, so be careful. Try to find your own
unique but relatable events:

Thursday, December 24, 2015

If you’re looking for a meaningful year-end donation for tax write off purposes or simply want to give to an organization that truly acts out selflessness and kindness, please consider giving to Irondale Evangelical Free Church located in Port Hadlock, WA. This church has personally impacted my family in a way that can only be described as a DIVINE MIRACLE. The following article written by reporter Allison Arthur from the PT Leader, sums it up nicely.

These two pastors, David and Colleen Hodgin, have a pure heart of service and genuine love for their hurting community. Without them even knowing it, they were answering my prayers and those of my family.

Please read this powerful article on the link below. If you feel your heart stir and feel so disposed to donate to Irondale Evangelical Free Church, please send your donations to PO BOX 959, Port Hadlock, WA 98339. They are a non-profit organization.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Being an author, I doa lotresearch. All authors do, or at least
theyshould. I spend almost as much time researching
and digging into things as I do writing some days. It’s important to learn
about those things I’m writing about if I want it to sound believable and
authentic. Since I love learning, it’s fun for me too which is a big plus.
I don’t ever get bored with the process. Whether IthinkI know what I’m taking about or not, I
still study up on the current facts and try to understand how the things I
write about work out in the real world. Especially when it’s something I
haven’t actually done before.

If you’ve read my books,The Deceiver Saga, you know
there’s lots of adventure, action, strong real life themes and also some
content of a spiritual nature. There is also a lot of things of a practical
nature as well. And sometimes some deep digging and immersion is in order so I
get it right.

In my effort to thicken the plots and webs of my storytelling, I
must lay foundational knowledge. I’ve talked with Sheriff, PD,
Correctional officers, Highway Patrol, SWAT, Psychologists, Attorneys, Pastors,
an Ex-Military Colonel, even a U.S. black ops military helicopter pilot, and
other sources, all in the pursuit of research and getting it right. But it
wasn’t until recently that I got some real hands on training in one particular
area that my books will have plenty of – the gun play. Okay, so “play” isn’t necessarily
the right word per say. More like, weapons being drawn and training about to
commence at this stage inThe Deceiver Saga. Yet more
is a come ’in folks and that is one of the reasons I wanted to get my hands
gritty with some professional hands on weapons training.

Now, I wasn’t about to just go to anybody for my firearms
training. After all, I might write fiction but I am also a realist. I don’t
want some macho crackpot shoot’em first ask ‘em later cowboy or cowgirl
teaching me how to shoot so I can learn their bad habits. So, I did what I’m
good at; I did my research.

I looked up several of my area’s highly recommended Firearms
Instructors. I read their reviews, looked at their websites and read their
bios. I even did google searches on them to see if anything of interest popped
out be it good or bad. After a thorough search, I ultimately decided to contact
Mandy Autrey, A.K.A.The
GunLady. I
met with Mandy one on one and we chatted for about three hours. Interviewing
her you might say to see if she would be the right choice. She was definitely
the Instructor for me. I liked her attitude, her professionalism, how she
carried herself, her humility, qualifications, and of course her intelligence.
Oh, and I loved her sense of humor. Thank God she was as sarcastic as me! Maybe
even more so :o] Again – If you’ve read my books you’ll understand how
important humor and sarcasm are to me. My books are full of it! I’d found my
perfect “instructor match”.

Mandy Autrey is the founder and primary instructor ofGunLady
Defensive Firearms Traininghere in the Sacramento
area. And no, just in case you’re going there in your brains, I didn’t choose
her because she was a woman. Oh no…HerYelp reviewsdid the bragging for her!
Men and woman of all ages were raving. Her clear and precise instruction
coupled with nearly 30 years of her law enforcement experience and
eighteen years as an instructor, said volumes. When I sat down to talk with her
I wasn’t disappointed. I soon found out that she’s been up close to the
criminals and knows how they think and behave. Her students reap the the unique
benefit of her experience and insight, and her extraordinary certifications and
knowledge go far beyond the standard textbooks or manual type of instruction.

I signed up and attended Mandy’s CCW training class.
For those who still haven’t read my books (shame on you), a CCW is a Carry
Conceal Weapons permit. It was a two day, 16 hour class as required by
California law. Mandy not only met my expectations, she exceeded them. In fact,
I ended up going back for one more day of training during the next month's
class to certify an additional firearm and get more hands on experience and
instruction. I will definitely be taking more of her other classes to learn all
I can. I’m particularly interested in the Combat Focus Shooting class, the
360StreetSense4Women, and the Fundamentals of Home Defense classes!

I shot several different types of guns before I ever went toGunLady
Defensive Firearms Training. But what I hadn’t ever really had before was thepropertraining. That much was perfectly
clear to me within the first few minutes of her class. I mean, I do what a lot
of people do nowadays when they want to know more about something; I read about
it, watched instructional videos on YouTube, I asked people who grew up around
guns, even asked other law enforcement officers to show me their grip and
stance. Yet I can honestly say, all that went straight to the crapper in her
class.

Come to find out, the ‘ol weaver handgrip is outdated and behind
the times. There are more efficient and scientific methods to handling your firearm
that use the body’s natural mechanics and startle flinch, all of which
is incorporated into well-choreographed techniques. She taught our class
those steps and encouraged us to practice them repeatedly in order to develop
the muscle memory we’d need so that we can respond on instinct and won’t freeze
if that dreaded battle over life or death should ever come. Not only did she
teach the mechanics of the weapons, but how the body reacts and how the mind
perceives things, bringing the two together.

With almost thirty years in Law Enforcement behind her, I felt
like I was in expert hands, literally. In fact, one of the certifications that
makes Mandy Autrey stand out from her peers, is her certification as aCombat Focus Shooting Instructor. There are roughly only
about seventy-five CFS Instructorsin the world. However,
only about fifty are active; an estimated four of which are women, including
Mandy Autrey. Even with her advanced skill set and training qualifications, I
quickly learned that The GunLady provides a complete training experience for
anyone seeking to learn how to defend themselves. Whether you’re new to
firearms or an experienced shooter looking to refine your skills, she has
something for everyone.

We all might think we’ll do the right thing in a crisis, but the
only way to stack the odds in your favor of survival is to practice and get the
proper training from a qualified instructor. Several of the students I meant
felt they had found such an instructor since I came to find out that many
of them had be taught by her before. They’d attended either her Fundamentals of
Home Defense class or had sent their kids to a Private Handgun lesson and were
so impressed with the training their kids received that they wanted some
themselves.

That’s what happens when you find an instructors who makes
training about actual real life situations and not about some
supersized-macho-prove-who-has-the-biggest-gun (if you get my drift) type of
class where they spend more time talking and bragging about themselves than
shooting. Mandy keeps it about the science, the mechanics, the proper technics,
keeping a cool head, the laws you need to know as a gun owner and/or CCW permit
holder.

She stresses over and over again the importance of practice. I got to
fire nearly 500 rounds in my first two-day 16 hour CCW class. The second time I
went for another 8 hour day, I got to fire nearly 350 rounds. Most CCW classes
I’ve researched tell you to just bring 50-100 rounds for practice during their
“two-day class” and 36 rounds per gun to certify with. How isthatproper training?

Mandy, A.K.A.The
GunLadywas even recently featured on our local ABC
Channel 10 news about self-defense planning for women. You can watch that
segment byclicking here. Also, I had the honor of
writing a couple of articles about Mandy’s expertise that will be featured in
the next few issues ofThe American Woman Shootermagazine. It’s a two part article, so
I can’t wait to share those links with you once they post.

For those of you who live in or near the Sacramento area and you
want high quality, realistic training from an expert in her field, I strongly
recommend you check out Mandy’s website for a full listing of her
certifications and self-defense and firearms training classes atwww.gunlady.net. And if you’re an author
or aspiring writer and you want to sound authentic and knowledgeable about
guns, then you have to go to the real deal or you’re just going to sound like
you’re making stuff up.

About the Author

Being an author of supernatural mystery thrillers is a blast! And writing The Deceiver Saga is pure joy for me. And diving into the minds of my characters is never boring. Come along this journey with me as we discover just how far the mind can go and how deep the heart can feel.

The Deceiver Saga is three books so far and counting! An estimated eight books to come in this saga means you'll have a lot entertainment coming your way. You'll be caught off guard and hungry for more...just check out my links below to know more!